The Northern Mage Academy
Part One Magi tread the Five Esoteric Paths (except anti-magi, who tread the Left-Hand Path of Qlippoth). These paths allow the magus to manipulate the threads that bind Creation together. Magi constantly undertake mental exercises to hone their abilities and render their arts unconscious. The most basic of these are meditation upon a point, physical exercises and rituals of depolarisation and banishing. Attunement with the position of the Sun and stars is also practised. Magi name-drop famous pioneers in all Paths. The fundamentals of magic art just barely understandable to the layman, and only the very intelligent can effectively master the arts of the occult. The Academy is filled with imported and harvested components for spell-casting. The town outside the two towers contains a market containing the greatest concentrations of rare and mundane items. Other components are collected by mage acolytes. Magi use spell foci such as staves, athames, wands, mirrors and even tattoos in order to reduce the need for components, and often wear robes, hats etc. to conceal their spell books and components form the elements and also from the eyes of common folk. The clergy of Phothulek run the book-binding operations and teach the art to other magi within the college. Spell books can be make of bark, leather, paper, parchment or skin. A mage's handmade tome are not just lists of spells, they contain notes and observations, incantations written in strange configurations and carefully formulated symbols which could probably be used by followers of the same Path. The Academy has a service entrance in the western tower (the eastern tower is mostly abandoned in modern times since the disaster) and the lower floors also house various low-standard rooms for the mage acolytes and apprentices. These low-ranking trainees are also housed frequently within the town outside of the Academy proper. Each floor has within it several common rooms for student "down-time". Higher ranking magi occupy quarters in the higher reaches of the tower. These magi take on younger and less experienced magi as acolytes. The gruelling routines at the initial stages of schooling involve rigorous mental drills and testing to filter out the inept at the get-go. Little attention is paid to a person's moral nature at this stage. Here, a broad education as to the history of the trolls and of magic is divulged to the students alongside the natural sciences and academia in general. However, no knowledge as to the profane magics or the black arts of Qlippoth is dispensed to these rank neonates, as they cannot be trusted to handle it and it would likely break their minds. Students often pick up stress-related quirks such as addictions or odd mannerisms during days of obsessive study and relentless mental strain. Exiting the initial stages of mage training after 2-3 cycles of intensive training, magi of the academy tend to forget how amazing their abilities truly are to the rest of the world outside its walls. They can now recognise dead languages, discern real gems from fake ones, subsist on odd diets and make books from scratch. Taking shape as full-fledged spell-casters, they now move towards entry into one of the five Schools of Magic. Part Two The Tor-Sul Mage Academy is a large and well-established guild, a centre of learning and a community of people dedicated to intellectual studies as well as magic. Magi form an important part of the society they dwell within and many different species and races converge here on relatively common ground. Flavours of Magic '''Abjuration (Negative Evocation): '''Not well liked by other magi, abjurers deal with barriers and banishing. They play an important role in keeping the academy safe from attack, blocking espionage, removing spiritual invaders and protecting mundane folk from supernatural depredation. Often wary and cautious personalities, they are drawn to reading about the dangers of magic and how to defend against them. They can lock doors, seal containers, erect spiritual barriers etc. and frequently prank each other during apprenticeship to hone their abilities at detection and deflection. They are the first line of defence against things that go bump in the night when travelling abroad in mundane communities. They are concerned with security, protection and maintaining constant guard against threats. Even abjurer spell books are lessons on how to make a tome hard enough not to crack, and most likely loaded with unpleasant deterrents to catch anyone who does manage to get into them. Exploration and investigation is encouraged in students and masters alike, because the spells and lore of abjuration are likely to be the most difficult to obtain and safely decode. Even so, abjurers will be studious in their learning, making backup spell books which they protect well and secure within multiple safe-houses from which they can make various preparations for entertaining worst-case scenarios (such as the breaking of a powerful and angry efreet from the summoning circle). They have often a strained relationship with diviners and transmuters, but frequently work closely with conjurers and necromancers as they hone their skills well against each other. Abjurers learn a lot about sacred geometry, physics and most ancient forms of symbolism. Abjurers are often stoic, a little paranoid and somewhat hard and unsympathetic, and make up the majority of the magical "guard force" that hunts down and apprehends profane and unlawful practitioners. '''Conjuration (Positive Evocation): '''Suited to outgoing and investigative magi, those individuals who probably pester abjurers for advice on protections from spiritual influence. These magi are by far the most widely travelled of all, because they seek to master travel and transport itself. Summoners seek to master and then thwart the laws of distance within the universe in order to make a thing that was once "over there" appear "over here". Conjurers get along fine with diviners as the two groups avail each other of each other's services regularly during the course of their lives. While the basic techniques of evocation have led to a great body of variations for specific results, they are narrower than the constantly expanding and adapting techniques of the negative abjurers. However, they do devote themselves in a similar manner to leverage arcane willpower in order to shift elemental forces in larger and larger amounts over larger and larger distances. Conjuration has a steep initial learning curve and a high attrition rate at loftier levels of learning due to the mental and physical demands. However, for the accomplished summoner, it is all worth it as all spirits of the universe are at their beck and call. They can tread wherever they wish, snatch servitors from across the planes and deposit them at their side. They ignore limitations of distance utterly through their workings. Summoners have an enormous body of lore concerning the nature of time and space, the existence of the planes, guidance to surviving in exotic and lethal alien environments and treatises upon how matter and energy move through reality. Shelves groan with texts and interesting artefacts gathered on many long journeys, field guides they have assembled and referenced for more formal volumes that the magus frequently sells for a great price. Summoners make excellent collectors of rare and supernatural goods and could conceivably be encountered anywhere, from the academy to the road to the clouds of the lower heavens. When visiting a conjurer, never ever believe the sign on the door reading "back in ten minutes." Evokers of both conjurer and abjurer stripes often erect dwellings and libraries that are larger on the inside than on the outside. Indeed, the internal architecture of the Academy of Tor-Sul seems at times to defy all logic itself and sometimes shifts entirely. '''Divination (Chronomancy): '''Oracles tend to be an eccentric group, giving people the heebie-jeebies as much as the necromancers and the psychics. Attracting mostly studious, introspective and introverted types, this Path willingly dives headlong into a confusing realm of shifting probabilities and sensations. The future is not set, but more of a kaleidoscope of echoes sent forwards by the present and the past. Oracles practise the most ancient lore of all - that of Tey'Kor-Akx itself - and subject themselves to punishing sensory enhancement regimes in order to increase their sensory perceptiveness vastly beyond the norm that they were born into the world with. Pattern recognition and assimilation of such information into the physical brain is arduous and oracles are liable to spend a lot of time nursing quite horrendous head- and muscle aches. They certainly make use of substances that alter perception, but unlike shamanic traditions in which hallucinogenic plants are ingested in a raw and liberal manner, the oracular dictates mandate precise concoctions of such components designed to produce effects that unlock the knowledge intended by the practitioner at his or her stage of development - no more, and no less. The concocted performance enhancing drugs are far from the fare consumed by the derelict addicts, and in fact addiction is highly frowned upon amongst these magi - mental mishaps within this esoteric path could have dreadful spiritual consequences indeed. Although anxiety attacks, psychotic breaks and schizophrenic overtones can be crippling, worse can occur to those who tread too far into the mental plane of existence prior to requisite conditioning. Chronomancers frequently look and search for tools and techniques to reduce this often expensive consumable burden. Crystal balls, reflective pools, glass prisms, glass mirrors and other items that facilitate mystical sensory stimulus are sought after. Money is of no consequence to an individual who can easily predict mundane worldly events. People of all stripes make use of oracles as advisers upon when to travel for speed or safety's sake, when to conceive a child, what weather patterns are coming forth, what investments will be profitable, etc. Oracles often keep interactions not related to their business to a minimum and cherish the rare moments of rest and respite fiercely. Many among the inadequately trained live a knife's-edge existence battling addictions and mental instability, caught between intervention and just standing by to let events come about as laid forth by consequence. Oracles know that often to interfere just complicates things more because the future is then thrown into more turmoil and becomes harder to decipher. Changing one thing in the present may throw off many predictions made in advance about the future, and so is bad for business if clients have already made their payments. Fatalistic mindsets often develop as oracles become more proficient. All payments are made in advance, and there are no refunds simply because you don't like what you hear. Apprentice oracles find the constant array of future good and ill consequences quite disturbing, especially when their mentors are hammering home the message that the best course of action is to do nothing but observe and report. Random images and keywords often come as premonitions to oracles even when they are not practising their arts. '''Enchantment (Psychomancy): '''From the raw apprentice gaggle, advanced ability is often sifted out of the crowd by gruelling study, strict testing and numerous tests designed to sort those who would be magi from those better suited for other pursuits. A few of these tests are known to identify those who possess natural and latent empathic and telepathic ability. The path of Animancy is offered to these individuals. There is a formidable study and theory involved in unravelling the workings of the sapient mind alongside long hours of practical application of abilities. Training is often done by sorting students into pairs and having them develop each other simultaneously, and is intensely intimate in nature - animancers know not only the inner working of the minds of animals and other people, but they also know their own mind in a way that few others do. Psychics can see when another is consciously deciding to act and when they are simply following instinctual or habitual impulses. They learn telepathic learning to engage another intellect and switch this dynamic around to help the other or suit their own designs. Animancers grab attention and lock onto it, steering the thoughts of others through their own will and working their magic here. They devote cycles of intense study to the art of mental multitasking, learning to maintain two or more streams of mental activity at the same time. They do this by visualising and partitioning areas in their mind's eye and learning how to perform tasks in these areas while maintaining concentration upon each in equal measure. Psychics possess knowledge of speech and behavioural patterns that is more than sufficient to make mundane individuals extremely transparent and obvious to them, and as such they can create in others any impression they wish to with great ease. They do this automatically, and thus it can be very difficult to learn what a psychic truly believes about anything unless they choose to communicate it directly. Meeting a psychic for the first time will likely leave you with the impression that this is the most reasonable and genuine person you have met in quite some time. You feel like they are upfront, in tune with you, personable and trustworthy. Also they are adept at being able to carry a conversation, get their point across and judge a character instantaneously. Psychics can make a tidy income in training others in sales techniques, gathering information, performing nonviolent intervention and enhancing political directives. They know what people like and know how to convince doubters to like what they have to offer. They are effective at removing people from situations without having to resort to murder, and are able to remove hours or even days of memory from people they have manipulated like puppets. They can use the worst parts of a person's nature against them and stroll them easily into the very worst of outcomes. The mst difficult targets for psychics are those who are completely open, honest and genuine in their nature, but thankfully these individuals are very rare and often aren't obstacles anyway. Mental rehabilitation and the reduction of derangement, addiction and trauma is also a strong line of work for animancers. The broad applications of this discipline of magic lead all types of personality to be led to its pursuit, although a very high intellect is a must-have. Psychic's quarters in the academy are plain affairs, often consisting of armchair rooms with nooks for reading and lengthy meditation. Privacy and a caster's own space help them to remember what it is like to be themselves and not the personas of others. '''Necromancy: '''The word "necromancer" has gained strong negative connotations due to the path's heavy profanation over the ages by baneful practitioners seeking shortcuts to power. However, the true purpose of necromancy was laid forth by the trolls as the safeguarding of the soul itself, and the school of magic draws interest from most magi regardless of their own speciality. The reason for this is the draw of extended life and possible immortality. Necromancers can manipulate the life force of the soul and transfer it either to or from themselves and others. They are able to expertly deal with ghosts and the grendels which reside on the Other Side of the mirror. Long before the gods of life and death arrived in the world, the relationship between Orboros and Niitoh was moderated and cemented by the arts of necromancy. Necromancers are deeply familiar with the myths and legends detailing how the gods first created life from the raw and limitless light of the universe, and many seek to master this endeavour themselves. The ancient rites of mummification, created by the orcs at the start of time and now passed on to numerous other cultures throughout the world, were originally the sole purview of the necromancers, and the sanctified dead have served as sacred guardians and dispensers of wisdom for countless ages. Necromancers often study sites where murders have taken place, where suicides and other emotionally charged instances of passing have occurred, in the hopes of deciphering how exactly strong emotions can bind a ghost or soul to the Fleshlands beyond death itself. While the followers of gods such as Bekel and Tyrevor may be experts in the tracking and extermination of profane undead creations, it is the sacred white necromancers of ages past who held the true knowledge of how to cleanse the world of these fiends once and for all. Within the Academy, the necromancers require areas to store dead bodies, modify them and perform rituals upon them. Despite how easy it would be for them to create their own serving staff, they prefer to keep the halls, study rooms and other areas clear of the undead, for they never, ever let an animated creation out of their sight. The practical use of necromancy is valuable and worthwhile. They can place people into suspended animation and heal many kinds of physical maladies beyond the reach and purview of witches. Necromancy is far more common in private study than many magi are willing to openly admit. '''Transmutation (All Paths): '''Personal enhancement, energy and matter manipulation and other forms of invoking spiritual forces to enact wilful change upon the world are arts learned by all mage apprentices and pursued alongside specialised study later on. Transmutation is the most malleable and diverse pursuit in magic by far, and can be made use of by any magus worth his or her salt. For the first couple of cycles in training at the Academy, all mage apprentices are schooled almost exclusively in transmutation as their basic curriculum, as it deals with all kinds of spirit as well as the fundamental makeup of the metaphysical world. An education in transmutation and alchemy grants the knowledge and form foundation to pursue any of the five Paths of Esoteric Magic. Alchemy and artifice are covered under this schooling as well as the exercise of will and energy control, and all magi are skilled in the manufacturing of potions, amulets and other charms. The ground-level of the Academy Proper is dominated by the transmutation school, and the staff here seem to treat the physical laws of the mundane world with a certain degree of scorn. Exotic components and herbs abound alongside shelves stacked with other rare minerals, metals and organic materials. The main library arcanum is located here, containing a bewildering array of volumes on a vast range of arcane topics relevant o most schools. Transmutation yields a huge amount of wealth which the Academy refuses to use as political influence, instead choosing to spend finances on acquiring yet more resources for the instruction of more students in the esoteric. The Northern Academy is the site of origin for most of the truly powerful magical items the world over. The more advanced magics a practitioner engages in, the more secure their workstations and quarters are. '''Witchcraft (Amaranthy): '''Witches are concerned with the forces of nature and venerate sacred plants, and the oak is the most sacred of all, being the corporeal body of the great troll Ya'Loggha. Other plants include alder (medicinal bark, hardwood, instrument crafting, seed dispersal and forest growth), ash (burn easily, edible for animals, blue dye, wood for clubs and staves), yew, birch (hardwood, oils and tar for arrow-making and glue, waterproofing and can burn even when wet. Sap for sweet syrup, waterproofing leather with oil, bark stripped and made into tents, canoes, bowls etc.), elderberries (edible flowers, hollow stems for pipes, strong feminine association - cutting one down would involve offering your own body after death in return for the tree in life). Refined metals are shunned as they are divorced from more natural energies and their flow through the body. Witches deal in low magic, and cover the widest range of natural effects of any Path - they are true jacks-of-all-trades. Masters of the wilderness, the knowledge of many druidic orders stems from the ancient practices of the witches, bestowed upon them by the trolls at the dawn of time. Witches cultivate a connection and awareness with the natural environment. They know nature - it is more than just a resource, but a part of their being integral to their survival. Wherever the witch finds themselves, the natural environment provides them with shelter, information, food, medicine, tools, stability and prosperity - it is their chosen role to act as custodians and protectors of this relationship not only for themselves, but for everyone else, for the All is an ecosystem. Witches gravitate towards harvesting and preparing medicine, harvesting and storing food, creating and maintaining nature-based tools, hunting and tracking, identifying prints, leaves, flowers, trees, territories and habitats. They recognise areas of natural aspect that have close ties with other planes, spiritual forces and darker energies. They frequently become known to established orders of witches existing within the wilds after they strike out from the Academy, and while attending the college they spend the majority of time after the initial Transmutation course away from the Academy Proper, instead working their craft within the woodlands surrounding the grounds. Witch circles often establish sacred groves of trees in which to meet and commune. Ostensibly within the circle all are equal, however respect is accorded to the older and more experienced witches as is their rightful due. Witches teach others to use the resources of the wilds responsibly and sustain-ably. There are two broad circles within the world: The Circle of the Land and the Circle of the Moon. The Circle of the Land are lore-keepers and instructors who not only take responsibility for the forests but also grant wisdom to the peoples living in harmony with the environment. They know what to grow and when and where to grow it, predict the weather, protect against natural disasters and provide real, practical day-to-day support to their people. The witch can teach people how to make homes and clothing, where to dig wells, how to practise animal husbandry, which trees have the best timber for a particular purpose, etc. A witch's words carry great weight with the common person under his or her protection. Coastal witches act as diplomats between those dwelling beneath the waves and those on the shoreline. The secret occult language of the witches is part of their ancient culture. They can leave messages in the form of scratched notches on trees and stems, and have meanings for each type of wood - the names of each sacred tree are letters in the witch alphabet. Through study and attunement, powerful witches can assume the forms of native creatures to the area they inhabit, bringing them into kinship with shamanic clerics of natural gods and goddesses. witches are beyond the concerns of national borders, having established their own grounds long before the coming of cities. The very most powerful witches are so in tune with nature that they slow their ageing to a crawl, eventually becoming effectively ageless as the natural world revitalises them continually. Old witches know, therefore, the locations of many great and forgotten tombs, ruins, and so on. Witches seek out heroes in times of trouble to grant them the ancient knowledge they need in order to succeed in defeating uprising threats. The Circle of the Moon are a more proactive sect and seek to fight evils that threaten the natural course of the land. They are the early warning system of the witches of the world, and patrol the lands far beyond civilisation. When the Circle of the Moon sounds a warning, it is never dismissed. Witches of this circle gather each cycle during the last chain of Moon's Thrall at ancient groves and circles of standing stones to discuss current events occurring over a very wide area.